The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-08-18
THE CUFF AND COLLAR.
NIMBLE FINGERED GIRLS WHO EARN
GOOD WAGES EACH WEEK.
Corner Turning an Art I'm Making Coll
Iars-Ironers and Starchers Well Paid.
The Skillful Suspender workers-A


woman's Starch Making Secret-wages.
Who has not heard "The Song of the
Shirt9'' but the song of the cuff and col
lar remains yet to be written, and the
carol of the suspender would make an ex-
cellent new poem. The wicked man who
purchases a shirt for 81, which some poor
woman has made for five cents, is also
righteous because he wears a collar made
by girl who earns $35 week and cuffs
turned out at $25 weeks wages.
"You don't beheve that collar maker
can earn $35 week?' said the repre-
sentative of a large house that deals in
these trifies. at does sound rather large,
and / viii admit that there are only
couple of hundred girls that / know Of
earning that amount fdf that work, but II
you doubt my veracity, why 60 up to our
factory and ask the girls themselves.
You know the great secret of making
collar is to turn the points perfectly
square, and there are very few women
who can do that. The best collars are
made four-fold-that Is, there are two
thicknesses Of linen in between the outer
coverings, and it takes considerable skill
to stitch them, turn them and stitch
again. The girl whose fingers and eyes
can do the work nicely heed never lack
for a living as long as men need collars"
Inquiry at one or two collar factories in
town revealed the truth of the young
mans remarks. The girls who make the
first quality of linen collars earn on an
average from $25 to $35 week. Their
work is all piece work, that is they are
paid by the dozen, and the amount they
earn depends largely upon how much time
they spend each day at the machine.
The cuff makers come next in price to
the collar makers. The work has not to
be so perfect, but badly turned corner is
not accepted, and adopts earn from SIS to
$50 week. A good collar maker can
turn out about ten dozen collars o day,
sometimes more. Five dozen pairs Of
cuffs is considered an excellent days work.
OF course this does not include buttonhole
making, which is done by machine.
washing and ironing have not always
been considered lucrative employment, yet
we have girls in our collar and cuff factory
who make SIS to $1S week at it," said
the proprietor of one Of the largest fac
tories in the state. every one knows
how perfectly new collars are ironed.
Some of the work is done by machinery,
but most of it by hand. The starching is
the principal thing to get right, and good
starcher, who does no other work, can
make fully as much as an ironer and often
more.
A STARCH MAKING SECRET.
Zone girl in our factory has q secret
way of making the starch, and allows no
one in the room but her little sister while
she is making it. She puts a certain guam
tity of borax or wax in it that CLOSES the
linen beautifully, and we pay her $25 a
week just for her talent. When her little
sister gets old enough and has learned the
secret we'll we shall take her into our en-
ploy."
''What do the medium class ironers and
starchers maker" was asked.
Every few fall below 81, but think
the average is about $40. The work is
very tiresome, of course, but most of our
girls seem to stand it well, and 1 never
heard of one of them dying of consump-
ton. Indeed we took in a frail little
thing of eighteen who had been dress
maker. The doctor said perhaps the work
might save her, and it did. She is now as
plump and rosy as though she had never
had a sick day."
1t would seem from this information as
though laundry work was not the drudgery
il is thought to be. 1t was learned that
I.-C 1iOJiSlo tlo IlOy III
this city earn from $40 to $15 on an aver
age, and extra good ones more. A cent
for each collar or cuff is frequently paid
the best ironers, and some of them iron as
many as 800 a day. This, of course, by
machine.
Suspender makers are another class Of
women workers, who, if proficient, can
rlan an excellent living. 1t is said that
there are only two women known to the
trade who can set in the small extra piece
of leather at the buttonhole on the finer
class of suspenders. This piece is an ex-
ira lining to hold the button hole stitching
well, and must be placed without a
wrinkle. These two workers make some
$40 week. One is the wife of o well to
do clothier and works for one firm only.
Ten cents dozen Is the magnificent
sum paid for stitching the cheapest sus-
penders; 81 day is considered fair wages
at that class of work A dollar . dozen
is about the usual price paid for the best
class of work, and a very smart woman
can make So q day.
Neckties were ut one time excellent pay,
but they are no longer the intricate things
they were in the days of "shirt covers
and only few women earn more than a
living making them.-New York Journal.